INKEY – Innovative tools to promote KET competencies

Background In a fast-changing socio-cultural and economic scenario, everyone is required to react promptly and proactively to uncertainty, rapidly adapt to new paradigms both in human relationships and labour contexts and interact effectively with more complex and diversified environments. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing labour market vulnerabilities and disengagement among young people, leaving further behind those youngsters that have been struggling to manage their transition from education to the labour market. After reaching the lowest point for a decade in 2019, the pandemic brought the number of youth Neither in Employment nor Education or Training in the EU up to 13.7% in 2020. Social distancing, restrictions, and isolation have profoundly affected the engagement, connection, and empowerment actions sought by the EU Youth Strategy, bringing young NEETs further out of the main channels through which human and social capital can be accumulated, like education and work. Innovative interventions to foster Young NEETs’ personal and social development are essential to build resilience and equip youth with the skills to positively challenge themselves in a world that constantly changes its rules, and therefore reach the ambitious target of a 9%-NEETs rate by 2030, set by the EC in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan. Personal, social and learning to learn competencies can play a decisive role in preparing young NEETs to develop the right skills for a changing world of work. In this context, the “InKEY” project aims to offer young NEETs new motivating and stimulating programs to acquire the key competence stressed in the LifeComp Framework by developing engaging digital tools that embed game dynamics, mechanics, and components, and online communities of practice. To create such tools, the project consortium will: -analyze the existing learning opportunities and best training practices, addressed to young NEETs, in the field of the implementation of the European Framework for Personal, Social and Learning to Learn Key Competence in the countries involved; -create tailored e-learning programs for the different sub-groups of the NEET population to foster the nine competencies of the personal, social and learning to learn areas of the Framework, such as wellbeing, flexibility, self-regulation, empathy, communication, collaboration, growth mindset, critical thinking and managing learning; -develop an e-learning platform to deliver the programs: the platform, starting from the assessment of skills, competencies, and aspirations, will provide learners with more personalized learning content, engaging and motivating them through simulations, role-plays and other active learning techniques, based on learning by doing, within a flexible and gamified learning-oriented environment, supported by an online community that will favour peer-to-peer learning and review opportunities; -develop “offline” learning activities for youth workers and trainers to integrate the e-learning programs, together with a toolkit with training materials to foster each of the nine competencies of the Framework. Objectives The project pursues the following objectives: GENERAL OBJECTIVES [1]To enhance the employability of Young NEETs; [2]To increase the quality and effectiveness of the empowerment actions of the organizations and professionals working with young NEETs. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES The content of this page is published for information purposes only. The project was funded by the European Union. However, the communication about the project that is published through this page expresses the views of the project beneficiaries only and it does not represent the views of the European Union or the European Commission. It shall not be deemed to constitute legal or official notice on behalf of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for this content nor the use thereof made by any third parties. Page 2 of 5 2021-2-PT02-KA220-YOU-000050829 Generated on: Jan 9, 2026 [1]To develop tailored learning programs to enhance young NEETs’ engagement and motivation in learning; [2]To increase the key competencies of young NEETs, to let them unleash their dynamic potential, self-regulate their emotions and behaviors, cope with complexity, be thriving individuals, responsible social agents, and reflective lifelong learners; [3]To equip youth leaders, youth workers and trainers with knowledge, skills and innovative tools to empower young NEETs. Activities WP1-PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION: administrative and financial management, scope, task, resources, knowledge, quality and risk management, project communications and meeting management, stakeholder engagement management. WP2-SHARING AND PROMOTION: activities aimed at sharing information on the project and promoting the e-learning platform among the target groups, ensuring the sustainability of the major project’s results through the appropriate exploitation planning, and ensuring the evolution of the INKEY’s virtual community after the end of the project. WP2 includes the development of the Sharing&Promotion Plan, knowledge transfer cafes, digital marketing campaigns, pilot tests and final conferences. WP3/R1-"LifeComp for the Employability of young NEETs: State of Art and Best Practices". Research will be conducted in all the